Today, public transportation consists of a variety of modes including buses, trolleys, subways, trains, and ferries. In the United States, public transportation is a large part of the solution to the nation's economic, energy, and environmental challenges. People are using public transportation in increasing numbers. Public transportation saves fuel, reduces traffic congestion, and also helps individuals save money. Public transportation also benefits the environment. One person switching to public transit can reduce daily carbon emissions by twenty pounds.
Along with the various modes of transportation, there exists a variety of payment methods for the transportation fare. Accepted payment methods for public transportation may include tickets, tokens, cash, credit cards, debit cards, etc. Automated systems have attempted to make the payment process simpler and more efficient. Automated fare collection (AFC) system is the name given to automated transportation ticketing systems. Typically, AFC systems are connected to the information systems in vehicles, at stations or other transportation centers.
However, there is no standard format governing the different AFC systems. The tickets used by one system are likely to be different than the tickets of another system at a different location. Also, a city or region may have a different ticket for each different mode of transportation. Heretofore, several unsuccessful attempts have been made to address these shortcomings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,619 discloses an automated vehicle dispatch and payment honoring system distributed to serve numerous locations and users.
U.S. Patent Application 20050165683 discloses a universal payment debit card for transportation vehicles for hire.
U.S. Patent Application 20040054595 discloses an electronic payment system used in public transportation vehicles which utilizes both the smart card and the credit card.
U.S. Patent Application 20100153279 discloses systems and methods for global transportation, vetting, and payment for ridesharing and use of public transport.
U.S. Patent Application 20080142585 discloses a system and method that employs a rewritable radio frequency identification device (RFID), or smart card technology, such as an electronic wallet to which charges can be debited and credited.
None of these references, however, teach a unified system which can read different types of cards in payment processing.